Search For Luxury Housing On Acreage Presents Some Real Problems, Too

Shortages of housing for various segments of the market have received a lot of attention lately.

However, little attention has been paid to the problems of house hunters looking for a new home priced from $400,000 and up--one that has a piece of land that you can move around on.

For such people Hawthorn Realty Group is offering Hawthorn Estates, an enclave of two-acre lots on a cul-de-sac in Highland Park.

For people curious to see the possibilities for home building on such acreage, the company has built two brick model homes.

The smaller is a four-bedroom, 3,650-square foot home with a two-story entrance foyer, spiral staircase, library and three-car garage, priced at $399,000.

The larger is five bedrooms, 4,700 square feet, with similar features. Price: $475,000.

People who may like the site but who are not sure right now what they want in a home can just buy a lot for $120,000 to $140,000, depending on the location in the development.

Such new housing opportunities are scare in Highland Park and other North Shore communities, says Elaine Waxman, senior vice president of J. H. Kahn Realty Co., which is marketing the development.

``In Highland Park there are not many two-acre sites available for new construction,`` says Waxman. ``There are some sites further west in communities such as Bannochburn.``

The sites at Hawthorn Estates ``can take a house of 5,000 or 6,000 square feet and still have an acre of greenspace,`` says Waxman. ``They are large enough for a swimming pool or tennis courts. One is laid out so it could have a small putting green.``

The two-acre zoning was retained, though the development is near others with one-acre lots, she says.

Waxman expects that a large proportion of buyers at Hawthorn Estates will choose to buy just the land and then build the homes on their own, she says.

``Most people with two-acre sites today are looking for their own custom homes with their own builder. When the homes are finished, they will be very individual and very special, reflecting each owner.``

What kind of response does she expect?

``We`ve already been getting a lot of traffic,`` says Waxman. ``The market for this kind of house stays fairly steady. If people want a property with room to put a pool and tennis courts, they`re limited in their choices. People who want that are always in the market.``

Another developer who is trying to satisfy the desires of the ``high end`` market is James McNaughton, 36-year-old president of McNaughton Builders, Inc. based in Hinsdale.

Last year McNaughton built 15 homes costing an average of $544,000. A few cost nearly a million dollars.

He builds mainly in the Oak Brook areas called Midwest Club of Oak Brook and Trinity Lakes of Oak Brook.

````I build on scattered lots,`` says McNaughton. ``We have an inventory of high quality properties and we build to suit.``

The company`s average house is 5,000 square feet, has six bedrooms and five baths, and stands on two thirds of an acre.

McNaughton usually builds in traditional styles.

``We build French classic, French country, colonial, Williamsburg. We understand the lines of the traditional architecture, and that`s what we concentrate on.``

``Cedar shake roofs and copper flashing are standard. We put in oak floors and six-panel oak doors and oak wainscoting. We use marble tile.``

Often, the master bedroom will be on the first floor.

``In this price range a lot of people like that feature,`` says McNaughton. ``They are in their early 40s and older. They`re getting tired of walking up and down stairs.``

His clients primarily are business people, he says.

``The majority are entrepreneurs or corporate executives, but we also do a lot of work for doctors and other professional people.``

McNaughton has been in the business about 10 years. His father, the late William McNaughton, built homes on Chicago`s southwest side in the early 50s with the company McNaughton Brothers. When Jim McNaughton graduated from college he started building in Oak Brook.

``I didn`t follow the path many builders take and start with lower priced housing and work up to the better product. We felt we could cater to the luxury buyer, and give the quality and consistency those buyers are looking for. We still think there are voids in this market, a lack of people who can do the job in a conscientious manner and maintain time frames.``

To be successful, any builder of luxury homes must be pepared to work extremely closely with clients, says McNaughton.

``Most of our houses are designed from scratch. We work with the buyer architecturally. We give our expertise and tell what we think works well. Our average client probably will make 500 change orders. Most tract builders wouldn`t have five change orders in a house.

``Some of these changes may run more money and some may run as a credit. Some may not make any cost difference. But the buyer can do what he wants. You have to be willing to basically walk the client through the construction phases. There are so many possible variations, in tile, carpet, stains and colors. Everything is very customized. A lot of builders can`t or won`t put in the time or effort required. This field demands patience and the willingness to follow through with the client.``